Purdue Pharma L.P. To Present Data Describing Changes in Oxycodone Abuse in Rural Kentucky Following the Introduction of Reformulated OxyContin®…

Purdue Pharma L.P. will present a poster describing the changes in abuse of OxyContin® and immediate-release oxycodone in rural Kentucky following the August 2010 introduction of reformulated OxyContin. This data is composed of follow-up interviews with a cohort of individuals in Kentucky who self-identified as original OxyContin abusers and will be presented at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) 75th Annual Meeting June 15 to 20 in San Diego.

Study participants (individuals that reported abuse of original OxyContin prior to the reformulation) were initially interviewed about their drug use before and after the introduction of reformulated OxyContin, followed by six-month follow-up interviews.

Among the 164 participants who completed the 6-month follow-up interviews, 76 percent selected original OxyContin as their preferred drug prior to the reformulation. In contrast, 66 percent of this population selected immediate-release oxycodone as their preferred drug after the reformulation; only one participant selected reformulated OxyContin as his or her preferred drug.

In follow-up interviews, 23 percent of participants reported attempting to manipulate the reformulated OxyContin for purposes of abuse.

From the initial interviews following the reformulation to the 6-month follow-up, the overall prevalence of original OxyContin abuse declined from 60 percent to 11 percent, and the overall frequency of abuse among those who abused declined from 11.3 days per month to 3.3 days per month.

During the same time period, prevalence of reformulated OxyContin abuse declined from 33 percent to 18 percent, while frequency among those who abused remained stable at 5.9 days per month vs. 5.7 days per month.

A decline in the prevalence of immediate-release oxycodone abuse, from 96 percent to 85 percent, also was observed during this time, while the frequency of abuse remained relatively constant.

Some abuse of OxyContin continued, and further research is necessary to determine whether similar effects are observed in other populations that abuse or misuse OxyContin.